Motorists pay, then pay more

Let's hope that the New York Thruway Authority is trying to see what reaction it will get to the idea of higher tolls. And let's hope that people, including those people we elect to take care of the public's business, will react forcefully and intelligently, exploring alternatives and allowing increases only as a last resort.

Comment

recordonline.com

Writer

Posted Sep. 26, 2007 at 2:00 AM

Posted Sep. 26, 2007 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Let's hope that the New York Thruway Authority is trying to see what reaction it will get to the idea of higher tolls. And let's hope that people, including those people we elect to take care of the public's business, will react forcefully and intelligently, exploring alternatives and allowing increases only as a last resort.

The Authority needs to do more than share its financial troubles as a justification. It needs to explain how it sees itself fitting into the bigger transportation picture and the much bigger issue — the increasing cost of being a New Yorker.

Drivers already know that it costs more to fill up in New York because the state imposes taxes on gasoline that are among the highest in the nation. Yet those drivers trying to cut back on trips or carpooling to save money are the ones that will be penalized most if the Authority has its way.

Increases might make sense if they were part of a manipulative plan to put more people into mass transit, eliminating the congestion and accidents that come with so many vehicles and the pollution that they create. But because the Authority acts on its own, there is no coordinated effort to change the way people travel and commute, leaving this as merely another grab for more money. Drivers who would like to give up their cars would need convenient and efficient alternatives to the Thruway, yet that does not seem to enter into the Authority's thinking.

With tie-ups and backups and just plain congestion a way of life on the Thruway, and with the certainty that higher fees will push more traffic onto other roads, it also would make sense for the Authority to consider ways to even out the flow.

This week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority talked about doing just that by offering discounts for off-peak subway and bus travel, making rush hours more expensive. The Thruway Authority has not demonstrated any semblance of comparable progressive thinking so far.

If anything, this latest threat to raise fares is a drawn-out version of bait and switch. The Authority has given discounts to drivers using E-ZPass and has offered lower rates for those who commute regularly in some selected areas. All of those discounts are in danger of being eliminated in the latest round of increases.

When those discounts were put into effect not that long ago, they had the effect of encouraging people to use their cars and not try to accommodate their schedules to mass transit. Now the Authority wants to penalize them for not driving even more and not paying enough in tolls.

That's a good way to balance the books but not a good way to treat customers or support the regional, multistate effort that we need to make transportation more affordable, convenient and environmentally friendly.